The Secrets the Silver mask hides
by Grasswing of Wingclan
Summary: Silvermask was just your ordinary medicine cat, only she has a horrible secret that cost a life. Medicine cats don't kill, they heal. So why did she? WINGCLAN CHALLENGE- A MEDICINE CAT'S KILL.


**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back and with another forum challenge! This one I from Wingclan (ironic, huh?) and I loved the idea for this challenge. Basically, it is about a medicine cat who kills another cat**

_Known as a healer, their claws were never meant to slice through skin, blood never meant to spill at their paws or take the life of another, instead of saving it. A mask of silver tends to hide the truth, keeping pushed in the back of their den, hidden amongst the sweet-smelling herbs._

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><p>Everything was quiet, peaceful as a lithe, silver tabby she-cat padded through the forest silently, paws avoiding any sticks or leaves that could give away her. Then she saw him, his bright green eyes shining with happiness, the moonlight illuminating his black fur. She let out a purr, rushing over to his side. "Nightflame!" she meowed, nuzzling his neck. He licked her cheek lovingly, their tails twining together. "Did Sorrelfoot or Morningflower catch you sneaking out?" she asked, thinking of the guards who were stationed near the camp entrance.<p>

"No, I told them I was just going on a walk to clear my head," he explained. "It's unfair though," he murmured, half to himself and his lover tipped her head, confused.

"What's unfair?" she asked and he looked at her bright blue eyes.

"That you are a medicine cat and can't have a mate! I love you and yet we will never truly be able to be together!" he complained and she nodded.

"I wish I could be a warrior but I can't. No one else is a medicine cat nor do any kits seem to have an interest in healing. What will I do?" She was worried, wanting to desperately be with her mate, but would be shunned if the truth came out.

"We will find a way to fix this together. You aren't alone, Silvermask. I love you," he purred, keeping her close. His black fur was meshed with her silver tabby fur and Silvermask felt as that when she was with Nightflame, nothing could hurt her.

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><p>"Nightflame? What will I do?" she wailed to her dark furred mate, pure terror shining in her eyes. "I'm expecting your kits! I can't keep these kits or the whole clan will know! The will banish me, leaving my kits and I on our own!" she panicked and Nightflame shook his head.<p>

"I won't let them kick you out. You can have your kits then I can pretend to go and find them by the border. None of the clan will know the truth and you'll be fine," he meowed and she smiled.

"You would do that, for me?" Silvermask asked and Nightflame nodded.

"I would do anything to keep you and our kits safe. Even if it means lying to all of our clanmates."

"Thank you," she murmured, licking her mate's cheek.

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><p>Laying on the soft grass, just outside of the clan borders, Silvermask panted, her belly rippling as the kits struggled to be born. A few herbs lay at her paws-parsley to stop her milk, raspberry leaves in case anything went wrong and honey to help her stay strong. Her mate hovered over her, nudging a stick towards her to bite onto.<p>

She let out a hiss, biting down on the large stick. Her belly gave a shudder, a kit sliding out. It landed on the grass with a plop and Nightflame nipped the kitting sac, releasing the kit. He licked the grey kit's fur the wrong way, hoping to warm it up.

"Is… is the kit okay?" she managed to say, the pain flaring through her body. She let out a wail as a painful spam wracked her body, pushing with all her might. Finally, a second and final kit was born. Swiftly, she nipped the kitting sac, a white kit tumbling out. She licked the small kit, it letting out a small squeak. Giving an exhausted purr, Silvermask pulled her son to her belly, letting him suckle.

"She's dead," Nightflame said sadly, gazing down at the limp kit he had been licking. Silvermask nodded sadly, looking at her mate.

"I think the tom should be named Frostkit," she suggested and her mate gave a small smile.

"The she-cat can be Dovekit. Starclan, take good care of her," Nightflame meowed and Silvermask sighed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"T-Take Frostkit now before the clan suspects something, she whispered, eating the parsley at her paws. Nightflame padded over to Frostkit, picking up his small son by the scruff and padding back in the direction of camp. Carefully, Silvermask checked to make sure nothing would make her clanmates question her before she slunk bck to camp. She slipped through a small entrance, hidden near the back of her den.

Her heart was heavy, with sorrow as she curled up in her lonely nest.

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><p>"Silvermask! You lied to me! How could you do this to the clan?" A dark grey tom snarled at the silver medicine cat, who pretended to be confused.<p>

"I don't know what you are talking about," she lied, looking away from the tom.

"Sister, we both know that you and Nightflame and closer than friends and that Frostkit is your son. It's only a matter of time before Finchstar suspects something," he growled and Silvermask shook her head, scared.

"N-No! You can't tell them! Please!" she begged to her brother. "Reedfern, you have to listen, please! I love him and you can't tell everyone!" she pleaded and he sighed.

"When we were kits, you promised me that we would never keep secrets from one another. You broke it!" he hissed and she shook her head.

"It was an accident! If you tell, I'll be kicked out of the clan! My son will hate me!" she wailed, her claws sliding out.

_It's just a quick slice. No cat will harm your son nor will you get hurt. If he stays quiet, then everything will be fine,_ she thought, glancing down at her claws. _No! I can't actually be thinking of killing my own brother!_ She thought in horror.

"Silvermask?" Reedfern meowed, noticing the expression on his sister's face.

"Forgive me, brother. I can't let my clan know though," she whispered, lunging forwards, her claws slicing through skin and fur. Reedfern let out a shriek, his blood oozing from the long slice on his neck.

"P-Please h-help me Silvermask! I won't tell. P-Please!" he wailed, the pool of blood growing beneath him. The medicine cat turned away, ignoring her brother's desperate cries for help.

"I can't. I'm sorry," she whispered, watching as her brother gave one final breath. She whipped her paws clean in the stream, padding back to camp. _I'm sorry…_

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><p><em>"Silvermask?"<em> A sweet voice mumured, voice carried by the breeze that gently rustled the leaves around the medicine cat. _"Silvermask? Silvermask? Why did you do that?"_ The silver tabby she-cat flattened her ears against her skull, trying to block out the cries.

"P-Please go away," she whispered, head hung low. "Just...just please go away," she repeated, her voice cracking as a sob threatened to escape.

_"But I trusted you. You broke our promise!"_ The voice wailed, only making the medicine cat feel more guilty.

"There was no such promise! Nor did i break it!" She lied, her guilt and sorrow gnawing at her raw heart. "You do not exist. You are just a voice from my imagination, wanting me to feel sorry," she growled. "I did nothing wrong!"

_"You are only hurting yourself even more,"_ the voice replied sadly and Silvermask gave a sigh.

_Just admit what you did, Silvermask! You will never wake up from this nightmare you created!_ She thought miserably to herself.

"Your wrong. I-I'm fine!" She hissed, her voice breaking. Her heart felt like a thousand claws had torn it apart but she didn't let the voice know that.

_"You took an innocent life to save yourself! To make matters worse, your clan is now at war because of YOU!"_ Silvermask turned away, her eyes wet with tears that would soon fall. She swallowed a sob back, just wanting the voice to leave her.

"I never meant for it to happen. I didn't want those cats to die because of me!" She cried, her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked her small body. "It was a mistake I couldn't fix!" She wailed mournfully, tears flowing down her cheeks. She collapsed onto the soft moss of the medicine cat den flooring, burying her muzzle in her tabby paws.

For a second, she felt a plumy tail drape over her shoulders and hesitantly, she looked up. The voice had now taken the form of a cat, the dark grey tom she had killed. His normal cheery eyes were now filled with sorrow and his smile was replaced with a frown. _"Silvermask, why exactly did you kill me?"_

The medicine cat blinked away a few tears, clearing her throat. "I-I had to or I would g-get in trouble," she stammered, memories flooding back into her brain.

Outside, she heard the yowls of her clanmates, returning back from one of the many fights with Fieldclan. Her clanmates, mainly injured-some even dead- were because of her. She caused this fighting and now she had live up to her mistake. "_Tell them Silvermask,"_ he meowed, nudging her slowly. _"They deserve to know the truth."_

Looking over at the starry figure of the tom, she gave a small nod. "Thank you Reedfern," she murmured and padded outside. Around the camp, cats were lying down, the two fallen warriors' bodies were placed in the middle of camp. As she walked past, she stopped for a minute and looked at the mangled creatures. Her heart nearly stopped as she recognized the larger tom. "No..." She whispered, "this is some sick joke. He isn't dead!"

His black fur was torn, scratches criss crossing over his pelt and a deep gash on his side was still oozing blood. She flattened her ears and tried to not cry. No doubt was this Nightflame, her mate. "Silvermask? What's wrong?" A solum voice asked, making her look up to see their leader, Finchstar.

"F-Finchstar. How was the battle?" She said quietly, not looking directly at her leader.

"We lost Nightflame and Frostpaw," he answered sadly, gazing down at the limp bodies before him.

_Wait, Frostpaw?_ Silvermask turned to look at the smaller body, her heart breaking as she saw how badly hurt the young apprentice was. He shouldn't have gone into battle.

"Silvermask?" Finchstar asked, breaking through her thoughts. "Are you okay?" Silvermask avoided his gaze.

_"Tell him Silvermask! Tell him now! You have nothing left to keep this secret for! Your mate and kit are dead!"_ Reedfern shouted in her ears and she gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry Finchstar. I never meant for any of this to happen," she wailed and he only looked confused.

"For what to happen?" Then his voice got dangerously low. "What did you do Silvermask?"

Taking a deep breath, the medicine cat began. "A few moons ago, I had been talking to Nightflame and slowly, over time, we began to get closer," she murmured, Finchstar hiving her an odd look. "We then decided to become mates-I know it's against the medicine cat code- and I finally felt like the piece of my life that was missing was found."

"Silvermask, I-" Finchstar began but Silvermask cut him off.

"I'm not done yet. You see, I had found out that I was expecting his kits, and being the only medicine cat at the time, had to keep this secret. I gave birth to them one night, with the help of Nightflame, far away from camp." Silvermask swallowed back a sob, this part hurting her the most. "Only one of the two kits survived, a small kit with white fur which I named Frostkit. Nightflame took him, telling everyone this was a rogue's kit who had been found near the border."

Finchstar looked shocked, his own warrior and medicine cat mates and having kits. "Sivermask. This is very serious. I-"

"I never visited Nightflame after that, we promised each other to keep a good distance. But one cat found out," she wailed and Finchstar frowned.

"Who found out about this secret?"

"Reedfern. He...He threatened to tell everyone and I couldn't let that happen! He was my brother and when we were kits, we promised each other to never keep secrets or lies from another. I had broke that promise and he vowed to tell everyone! So I killed him at the Feildclan border."

She squeezed her eyes shut, the memory of her claws slicing through skin, a blow fatal. The blood pulsing out of his neck wound and his pleading eyes, begging for me to save him. I watched as his body grew limp, the light draining from his eyes and as he took his final breath, he had told her he was happy she found love. Heartbroken, the medicine cat had dragged his body to be left near the border with rogues but the wind had blown the Feildclan scent on him, starting all this fighting.

"Now all this fighting is because of me!" She sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Finchstar gazed at his once loyal medicine cat to the two limp bodies that lay beside her. Surely she deserved a punishment, but was guilt and sorrow enough? She lost her brother, lived with this horrid secret for so long, watched cats die or be badly wounded because of her and now, her only son and mate are dead. "Silvermask, you deserve to be punished, but I won't. You suffered way too much by keeping this secret and I cannot find a reasonable punishment to use," he meowed and her eyes widened.

"Thank you Finchstar! I'm dreadfully sorry for my mistake. I never wanted this to happen," she said, swallowing a sob.

"Mourn for your family. The clan will know eventually but at least you can spend a few moments with your mate and son." Silvermask nodded, grateful.

Then she turned to look at the limp bodies at her paws, tears flowing down her cheeks. Finchstar watched as she collapsed to the ground, muzzle buried deep in her mate's dark fur. Sob wracked her body as she wept for her mate and son, wishing they were still alive. "I'm sorry Nightflame! I'm sorry for all of this!" She wailed, pushing her son's body towards her, she gently began to groom his dirty white fur, hiding all the wounds and injuries that marred his pretty pelt.

Once her son was cleaned up, she kept him close to her belly, tail wrapping around him. Then, she continued to weep into her mate's fur, her sorrow and pain flowing out from her smashed heart.

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><p>Finchstar noticed a few cats looking her way, confusion on their faces. Riverflower, his mate, walked over to him, looking at the medicine cat worried. "Finchstar? What is going on with Silvermask?" She asked and Finchstar licked her head.<p>

"Let her grieve for her mate and son." Was all he said and Riverflower gave him a concerned look. "I will tell you later. For now, leave her alone. Her apprentice, Mallowpaw, can help with the injuries until Silvermask is fit to help."

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><p>Silvermask felt something brush up against her fur, almost like a cat. <em>"Silvermask, you did the right thing telling the truth,"<em> one voice whispered.

_"You were strong and didn't break,"_ a second, squeakier voice purred. Looking up, she saw the faint outlines of three cats.

"Nightflame, Frostpaw, I'm so sorry that you died. This is my fault! I caused this fighting and now I lost you both to it!" She wailed, tears making her vision blurry.

Frostpaw shook his head. _"No mother. You never knew this would happen. I love you," _he said, rushing over to her side and curling up around her.

Silvermask smiled at her son, happy that for once, after so many moons, she finally had her son by her side, but just not the way she wanted it to be. Looking up at her brother, she swallowed before answering, "Reedfern, aren't you mad that I killed you? Your my brother!" The grey tom shook his head.

_"You were just trying to protect the ones you loved. I forgive you,"_ he murmured, licking her head.

She nodded, giving a small cough. "I love you so much," she told her mate, a smile appearing on his face.

_"We will always be with you, Silvermask. We will never leave you..."_

**A/N: How was it? I hope you guys really liked it! I would have had it up sooner but I was stuck cleaning my room yesterday and the day before... For this one-shot, I didn't want it to have it where the medicine cat suffered a horrible punishment, but to already had hers without knowing. Also, I've been a bit lazy, watching tv instead of updating. I've been watching The Flash, Supernatural, Bones, Gravity Falls, and Criminal Minds too much... hey, there are good shows! Any who, why not go and join Wingclan? Everyone there is super nice, friendly and we love potatoes!**

**-Grasswing.**


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